The One Year Pray for America Bible NLT

By Tyndale

Pray for the pressing needs of the United States of America as you read through the whole Bible in just one year. The One Year Pray for America Bible provides the structure to help you read God’s life-changing Word in the clear and easy-to-read New Living Translation in just 15 minutes a day. It includes daily non-partisan prayer prompts and inspirational prayers from famous Americans that help you intercede for your neighbors and your nation. This special edition of The One Year Bible equips you to apply your daily Bible reading as short prayers for leaders in every sphere of civic life. The One Year Pray for America Bible will help you apply the principles of God’s unchanging Word to effective prayer for our rapidly changing society. Allow God to change you and our country as you spend a year in the Word and on your knees.

Features:

• Readable New Living Translation (NLT)
• The One Year Bible format offers daily passages from the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs
• The entire text of the New Living Translation of the Bible divided into 365 daily readings
• Compelling daily prayer prompts for America
• Twelve fascinating full-page prayers from Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and more
• Foreword from Senate Chaplain Dr. Barry Black
• Compact and affordable Bible
• Easy-to-read 8.5 point font
• 1488 pages
• Great gift for friends, neighbors, and family members

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
• Release date: Dec 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9781496444011

Book preview

America.

The One Year Bible User’s Guide

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.

PSALM 119:105

The One Year Bible is divided into daily readings designed to guide you through the entire Bible in a year. But the arrangement doesn’t take you straight through from Genesis to Revelation. Instead, each day you will find a portion of the Old Testament and the New Testament, plus short readings from Psalms and Proverbs. These four daily readings are grouped on consecutive pages, giving freshness and diversity to each day’s reading experience. Many people have tried to read through the entire Bible in a year, but they quickly become frustrated when they get stuck in harder passages. This reading plan has helped millions of readers, including those who were previously frustrated, to successfully complete their reading of the entire Bible. And reading through the Bible will ensure that you will spend significant time engaged with God’s Word.

Time spent genuinely engaged with God’s Word has the potential to change your life. The word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires (Hebrews 4:12). The Bible isn’t just a book of human wisdom. It comes from God himself, and in it he gives us the wisdom and knowledge needed to live a life of faith. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Time spent in the Scriptures, in a very real sense, is time spent with God. There is no better place in this world for us to hear from God. The Bible is a special gift, but a gift we often leave on the shelf—unopened and unread. And as we open it and read its pages, we are opening a door to a relationship with the Author. He’s waiting there to speak to us, with the help of his ever-present Spirit. He gave us the Scriptures because he wants us to hear from and know him. Approach your reading each day with this knowledge and expectation.

ENGAGING MORE DEEPLY WITH SCRIPTURE

In The One Year Bible, you are encouraged to read through the entire Bible in a year, and its structure provides a systematic daily plan for this. Most readers do their daily reading silently, often in a single sitting. However, since many of the readings are fairly long, it is easy to get distracted and to start reading just to finish. If this is the case for you, you may find it helpful to slow down to engage more fully in the listening process.

Below is a list of concrete practices or tools that should help you engage more deeply with Scripture. (Since everyone is different, not all of these practices may work for you. And some of the practices work better for longer passages, as opposed to single verses, and vice versa.) Use these tools to help you engage with God’s Word more deeply.

PRACTICE 1—READ IT ALOUD: This practice will slow you down and allow you to focus. Reading aloud takes about twice as long as silent reading. It also allows you to encounter God’s Word twice—through both your eyes and ears—leading you to a more nuanced interaction with the text. (This is especially useful as you approach a longer passage.) As you read aloud, you could try to read the text interpretively—add color to your expression to help you more completely take in and express the message. You could even dramatize a scene. And if others are around, don’t be afraid to share the experience with them!

PRACTICE 2—COPY IT: Take out a pen and paper and copy a verse or passage of particular interest. If you are a visual learner, this should help you focus on the text more intensely. It will also force you to slow down even more and approach it phrase by phrase, helping you savor the text as you would a meal of many courses. If you have some talent with your pen, express the meaning of the text with different kinds of scripts and ink colors. This will help you focus on the meaning in greater detail. Typing the text into your computer and formatting the text creatively could accomplish the same sort of thing. If your rendering turns out really well, frame it or send it to friends to encourage their reflection.

PRACTICE 3—SUMMARIZE IT: Take a journal or computer and write a summary for each reading in this Bible with just a single sentence. This could be a simple content summary, or perhaps a summary of what God said to you through the passage. Reading with this practice can help you stay focused and also help you create a personal tool for Bible review. As you finish reading a Bible book, summarize the entire book’s core message in a sentence or paragraph. Then at the end of the year, try to summarize the message of the whole Bible. From your perspective, what is the Bible’s unified message?

PRACTICE 4—PARAPHRASE IT: Take out a pen and paper, or start up your computer, and put some verses into your own words. Try to capture all the important parts of the passage without leaving anything out. This will help you pay attention to the details and to the rich meanings of the words. Drink in the text, digest its meaning, and write it again from the unique perspective God has given you. Don’t worry about the word order; focus on the message. You will likely find that this leaves you with nuggets of wisdom to take away and to continue to think about.

PRACTICE 5—DIVIDE IT: This practice is somewhat the opposite of summarizing the broad strokes of a passage. To divide a text, choose a particular sentence that is especially meaningful to you, like "The L

ORD

is my shepherd" (Psalm 23:1). Highlight each word of the sentence successively, and read it over and over again. This will allow you to see the verse from varied angles.

THE L

ORD

is my shepherd.

The LORD is my shepherd.

The L

ORD

IS my shepherd.

The L

ORD

is MY shepherd.

The L

ORD

is my SHEPHERD.

As you do this, you will likely see truths in the text that you were blind to before.

PRACTICE 6—PERSONALIZE IT: Embrace or claim Scripture personally by taking a verse or passage that clearly applies to you and replacing the nouns or pronouns with your own name. This will drive home the truth that God is speaking about you and to you. The verse that includes the text we just divided above might read, "The L

ORD

is Susan’s shepherd. Susan has all that she needs." You might also personalize it this way for a friend, your spouse, or your children.

PRACTICE 7—PRAY IT: Many passages are helpful for guiding our prayers. They remind us of what is true and what is important to God. We can use these reminders as prayer prompts. Again, take the verse we looked at above. It might inspire a prayer like this: Lord, you have reminded me that you are my Shepherd and that you can provide all that I need. As one of your sheep, I confess that I often don’t follow you very closely. I’m often one of the lost sheep—one of those you need to search for in stormy weather and carry home. I can see that if I followed you more closely, I’d also be much closer to all that you have to offer me. The unmet needs I’m always complaining about would be better met if I just stayed near to my Shepherd. And I suppose sometimes I wander away looking to satisfy my wants rather than my real needs. Dear Shepherd, help me to stay close to your loving care and protection. Forgive my tendency to wander. Amen.

PRACTICE 8—MEMORIZE IT: Putting Scripture to memory is the likely result of many of these other practices. For many of us, if we copy or read a verse again and again, we will soon know it by heart. To begin memorizing a text, that is the best place to start. Read or copy a text three times a day for an entire month and then begin to recite it aloud for yourself on a regular basis. Then, if the appropriate opportunity arises, recite it for others. (Remember to learn the reference, too, so you can more easily locate it.) The psalm writer reminds us of why Scripture memorization is so important: I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you (Psalm 119:11).

PRACTICE 9—SHARE IT: God’s Word is good news, whether it comes in a story or parable, an account of one of Jesus’ miracles, a psalm of praise, a promise of hope, or a wise proverb. When you’ve read something helpful, thought provoking, or inspiring, share it. As you do, you’ll find that the message becomes more real for you too. If it’s a story, retell it to someone in your own words. Try to capture all the details. If it’s a short promise or proverb, email it to a friend, post it on an announcement board or refrigerator, carve it into a piece of wood to hang on a wall, bring it up for discussion with friends over coffee, or tweet it for anyone who might be watching. If you’ve heard from God and it means something to you, take the time to share it.

PRACTICE 10—LIVE IT: It’s not just important to read and listen to God’s Word. We also need to find ways to put it into practice. (Keeping this in mind as you read will also help you to focus.) We are reminded of this in the book of James: Don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves (James 1:22). As you reflect on God’s Word, conclude your time by thinking up ways to live it out. What can you put into action today?

OTHER WAYS TO USE THE ONE-YEAR READING PLAN

Though The One Year Bible has led millions of readers through the Bible in one year, its arrangement is equally useful for guiding you through the Bible in two years, or even longer. If you feel too rushed or want to spend more time on each day’s selections, here are a few other suggestions:

THE SPLIT ONE-YEAR PLAN. Schedule time in both the morning and evening. Read the New Testament and Psalms selections in the morning and the Old Testament and Proverbs selections in the evening.

THE TWO-YEAR PLAN. During the first year, read the Old Testament and Proverbs selections. Then during the second year, read the selections from the New Testament and Psalms.

THE THREE-YEAR PLAN. Read the Old Testament selection the first year, the New Testament selection the second year, and the Psalms and Proverbs selections during the third year.

THE WORDS OF PRAISE AND WISDOM PLAN. Read the Psalms and Proverbs selections for each day. This will take you through the Psalms twice and Proverbs once during the year, giving you words of praise and wisdom to live by each day.

You need not limit yourself to these suggested plans. The arrangement of The One Year Bible makes it easy to devise any number of Bible reading plans to meet your particular needs.

January

Use the links provided below to jump to the appropriate day of the month.

1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31

JANUARY

1

Lord, thank you for a fresh, new year—for me and all elected officials! It’s exciting! Give me a heart eager to pray for this nation and all who lead it, beginning today. Amen.

Genesis 1:1–2:25

Matthew 1:1–2:12

Psalm 1:1-6

Proverbs 1:1-6

GENESIS 1:1–2:25

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.[*] ² The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

³ Then God said, Let there be light, and there was light. ⁴ And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light day and the darkness night.

And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.

⁶ Then God said, Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth. ⁷ And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. ⁸ God called the space sky.

And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day.

⁹ Then God said, Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear. And that is what happened. ¹⁰ God called the dry ground land and the waters seas. And God saw that it was good. ¹¹ Then God said, Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came. And that is what happened. ¹² The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.

¹³ And evening passed and morning came, marking the third day.

¹⁴ Then God said, Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. ¹⁵ Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth. And that is what happened. ¹⁶ God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. ¹⁷ God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, ¹⁸ to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

¹⁹ And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day.

²⁰ Then God said, Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind. ²¹ So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² Then God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.

²³ And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day.

²⁴ Then God said, Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals. And that is what happened. ²⁵ God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.

²⁶ Then God said, "Let us make human beings[*] in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth,[*] and the small animals that scurry along the ground."

²⁷ So God created human beings[*] in his own image.

In the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

²⁸ Then God blessed them and said, Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.

²⁹ Then God said, Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. ³⁰ And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life. And that is what happened.

³¹ Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!

And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.

²:¹ So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. ² On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested[*] from all his work. ³ And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.

⁴ This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth.

When the L

ORD

God made the earth and the heavens, ⁵ neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth. For the L

ORD

God had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were no people to cultivate the soil. ⁶ Instead, springs[*] came up from the ground and watered all the land. ⁷ Then the L

ORD

God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.

⁸ Then the L

ORD

God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made. ⁹ The L

ORD

God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

¹⁰ A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches. ¹¹ The first branch, called the Pishon, flowed around the entire land of Havilah, where gold is found. ¹² The gold of that land is exceptionally pure; aromatic resin and onyx stone are also found there. ¹³ The second branch, called the Gihon, flowed around the entire land of Cush. ¹⁴ The third branch, called the Tigris, flowed east of the land of Asshur. The fourth branch is called the Euphrates.

¹⁵ The L

ORD

God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. ¹⁶ But the L

ORD

God warned him, You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—¹⁷ except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.

¹⁸ Then the L

ORD

God said, It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him. ¹⁹ So the L

ORD

God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man[*] to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. ²⁰ He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him.

²¹ So the L

ORD

God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the L

ORD

God took out one of the man’s ribs[*] and closed up the opening. ²² Then the L

ORD

God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.

²³ At last! the man exclaimed.

"This one is bone from my bone,

and flesh from my flesh!

She will be called ‘woman,’

because she was taken from ‘man.’"

²⁴ This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.

²⁵ Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.

MATTHEW 1:1–2:12

This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham[*]:

² Abraham was the father of Isaac.

Isaac was the father of Jacob.

Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers.

³ Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar).

Perez was the father of Hezron.

Hezron was the father of Ram.[*]

⁴ Ram was the father of Amminadab.

Amminadab was the father of Nahshon.

Nahshon was the father of Salmon.

⁵ Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab).

Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth).

Obed was the father of Jesse.

⁶ Jesse was the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah).

⁷ Solomon was the father of Rehoboam.

Rehoboam was the father of Abijah.

Abijah was the father of Asa.[*]

⁸ Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat.

Jehoshaphat was the father of Jehoram.[*]

Jehoram was the father[*] of Uzziah.

⁹ Uzziah was the father of Jotham.

Jotham was the father of Ahaz.

Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah.

¹⁰ Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh.

Manasseh was the father of Amon.[*]

Amon was the father of Josiah.

¹¹ Josiah was the father of Jehoiachin[*] and his brothers (born at the time of the exile to Babylon).

¹² After the Babylonian exile:

Jehoiachin was the father of Shealtiel.

Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel.

¹³ Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud.

Abiud was the father of Eliakim.

Eliakim was the father of Azor.

¹⁴ Azor was the father of Zadok.

Zadok was the father of Akim.

Akim was the father of Eliud.

¹⁵ Eliud was the father of Eleazar.

Eleazar was the father of Matthan.

Matthan was the father of Jacob.

¹⁶ Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.

Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.

¹⁷ All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah.

¹⁸ This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement[*] quietly.

²⁰ As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. Joseph, son of David, the angel said, "do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. ²¹ And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,[*] for he will save his people from their sins."

²² All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

²³ "Look! The virgin will conceive a child!

She will give birth to a son,

and they will call him Immanuel,[*]

which means ‘God is with us.’"

²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. ²⁵ But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

²:¹ Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men[*] from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, ² Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose,[*] and we have come to worship him.

³ King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. ⁴ He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?

⁵ In Bethlehem in Judea, they said, "for this is what the prophet wrote:

⁶ ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,

are not least among the ruling cities[*] of Judah,

for a ruler will come from you

who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’[*]"

⁷ Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. ⁸ Then he told them, Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!

⁹ After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! ¹¹ They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

¹² When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

PSALM 1:1-6

¹ Oh, the joys of those who do not

follow the advice of the wicked,

or stand around with sinners,

or join in with mockers.

² But they delight in the law of the L

ORD

,

meditating on it day and night.

³ They are like trees planted along the riverbank,

bearing fruit each season.

Their leaves never wither,

and they prosper in all they do.

⁴ But not the wicked!

They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.

⁵ They will be condemned at the time of judgment.

Sinners will have no place among the godly.

⁶ For the L

ORD

watches over the path of the godly,

but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

PROVERBS 1:1-6

These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel.

² Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,

to help them understand the insights of the wise.

³ Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,

to help them do what is right, just, and fair.

⁴ These proverbs will give insight to the simple,

knowledge and discernment to the young.

⁵ Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser.

Let those with understanding receive guidance

⁶ by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables,

the words of the wise and their riddles.

[Genesis 1:1] Or In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, . . . Or When God began to create the heavens and the earth, . . .

[Genesis 1:26a] Or man; Hebrew reads adam.

[Genesis 1:26b] As in Syriac version; Hebrew reads all the earth.

[Genesis 1:27] Or the man; Hebrew reads ha-adam.

[Genesis 2:2] Or ceased; also in 2:3.

[Genesis 2:6] Or mist.

[Genesis 2:19] Or Adam, and so throughout the chapter.

[Genesis 2:21] Or took a part of the man’s side.

[Matthew 1:1] Greek Jesus the Messiah, Son of David and son of Abraham.

[Matthew 1:3] Greek Aram, a variant spelling of Ram; also in 1:4. See 1 Chr 2:9-10.

[Matthew 1:7] Greek Asaph, a variant spelling of Asa; also in 1:8. See 1 Chr 3:10.

[Matthew 1:8a] Greek Joram, a variant spelling of Jehoram; also in 1:8b. See 1 Kgs 22:50 and note at 1 Chr 3:11.

[Matthew 1:8b] Or ancestor; also in 1:11.

[Matthew 1:10] Greek Amos, a variant spelling of Amon; also in 1:10b. See 1 Chr 3:14.

[Matthew 1:11] Greek Jeconiah, a variant spelling of Jehoiachin; also in 1:12. See 2 Kgs 24:6 and note at 1 Chr 3:16.

[Matthew 1:19] Greek to divorce her.

[Matthew 1:21] Jesus means "The LORD

saves."

[Matthew 1:23] Isa 7:14; 8:8, 10 (Greek version).

[Matthew 2:1] Or royal astrologers; Greek reads magi; also in 2:7, 16.

[Matthew 2:2] Or star in the east.

[Matthew 2:6a] Greek the rulers.

[Matthew 2:6b] Mic 5:2; 2 Sam 5:2.

JANUARY

2

Lord, your call for leaders to wisely obey you is a message for elected leaders too. Cut through the clutter and make yourself known to them today. Interrupt their lives, and give them ears to hear you. Amen.

Genesis 3:1–4:26

Matthew 2:13–3:6

Psalm 2:1-12

Proverbs 1:7-9

GENESIS 3:1–4:26

The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the L

ORD

God had made. One day he asked the woman, Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?

² Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, the woman replied. ³ It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’

⁴ You won’t die! the serpent replied to the woman. ⁵ God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.

⁶ The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. ⁷ At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

⁸ When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man[*] and his wife heard the L

ORD

God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the L

ORD

God among the trees. ⁹ Then the L

ORD

God called to the man, Where are you?

¹⁰ He replied, I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.

¹¹ Who told you that you were naked? the L

ORD

God asked. Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?

¹² The man replied, It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.

¹³ Then the L

ORD

God asked the woman, What have you done?

The serpent deceived me, she replied. That’s why I ate it.

¹⁴ Then the L

ORD

God said to the serpent,

"Because you have done this, you are cursed

more than all animals, domestic and wild.

You will crawl on your belly,

groveling in the dust as long as you live.

¹⁵ And I will cause hostility between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and her offspring.

He will strike[*] your head,

and you will strike his heel."

¹⁶ Then he said to the woman,

"I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy,

and in pain you will give birth.

And you will desire to control your husband,

but he will rule over you.[*]"

¹⁷ And to the man he said,

"Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree

whose fruit I commanded you not to eat,

the ground is cursed because of you.

All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.

¹⁸ It will grow thorns and thistles for you,

though you will eat of its grains.

¹⁹ By the sweat of your brow

will you have food to eat

until you return to the ground

from which you were made.

For you were made from dust,

and to dust you will return."

²⁰ Then the man—Adam—named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all who live.[*] ²¹ And the L

ORD

God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.

²² Then the L

ORD

God said, "Look, the human beings[*] have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!" ²³ So the L

ORD

God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. ²⁴ After sending them out, the L

ORD

God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

⁴:¹ Now Adam[*] had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, "With the L

ORD

’s help, I have produced[*] a man!" ² Later she gave birth to his brother and named him Abel.

When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground. ³ When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the L

ORD

. ⁴ Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The L

ORD

accepted Abel and his gift, ⁵ but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.

⁶ Why are you so angry? the L

ORD

asked Cain. Why do you look so dejected? ⁷ You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.

⁸ One day Cain suggested to his brother, Let’s go out into the fields.[*] And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.

⁹ Afterward the L

ORD

asked Cain, Where is your brother? Where is Abel?

I don’t know, Cain responded. Am I my brother’s guardian?

¹⁰ But the L

ORD

said, What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground! ¹¹ Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother’s blood. ¹² No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth.

¹³ Cain replied to the L

ORD

, "My punishment[*] is too great for me to bear! ¹⁴ You have banished me from the land and from your presence; you have made me a homeless wanderer. Anyone who finds me will kill me!"

¹⁵ The L

ORD

replied, No, for I will give a sevenfold punishment to anyone who kills you. Then the L

ORD

put a mark on Cain to warn anyone who might try to kill him. ¹⁶ So Cain left the L

ORD

’s presence and settled in the land of Nod,[*] east of Eden.

¹⁷ Cain had sexual relations with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Then Cain founded a city, which he named Enoch, after his son. ¹⁸ Enoch had a son named Irad. Irad became the father of[*] Mehujael. Mehujael became the father of Methushael. Methushael became the father of Lamech.

¹⁹ Lamech married two women. The first was named Adah, and the second was Zillah. ²⁰ Adah gave birth to Jabal, who was the first of those who raise livestock and live in tents. ²¹ His brother’s name was Jubal, the first of all who play the harp and flute. ²² Lamech’s other wife, Zillah, gave birth to a son named Tubal-cain. He became an expert in forging tools of bronze and iron. Tubal-cain had a sister named Naamah. ²³ One day Lamech said to his wives,

"Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;

listen to me, you wives of Lamech.

I have killed a man who attacked me,

a young man who wounded me.

²⁴ If someone who kills Cain is punished seven times,

then the one who kills me will be punished seventy-seven times!"

²⁵ Adam had sexual relations with his wife again, and she gave birth to another son. She named him Seth,[*] for she said, God has granted me another son in place of Abel, whom Cain killed. ²⁶ When Seth grew up, he had a son and named him Enosh. At that time people first began to worship the L

ORD

by name.

MATTHEW 2:13–3:6

After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother, the angel said. Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.

¹⁴ That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, ¹⁵ and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: I called my Son out of Egypt.[*]

¹⁶ Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance. ¹⁷ Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

¹⁸ "A cry was heard in Ramah—

weeping and great mourning.

Rachel weeps for her children,

refusing to be comforted,

for they are dead."[*]

¹⁹ When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. ²⁰ Get up! the angel said. Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.

²¹ So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel with Jesus and his mother. ²² But when he learned that the new ruler of Judea was Herod’s son Archelaus, he was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee. ²³ So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets had said: He will be called a Nazarene.

³:¹ In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, ² "Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.[*]" ³ The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said,

"He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,

‘Prepare the way for the L

ORD

’s coming!

Clear the road for him!’"[*]

⁴ John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁵ People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. ⁶ And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.

PSALM 2:1-12

¹ Why are the nations so angry?

Why do they waste their time with futile plans?

² The kings of the earth prepare for battle;

the rulers plot together

against the L

ORD

and against his anointed one.

³ Let us break their chains, they cry,

and free ourselves from slavery to God.

⁴ But the one who rules in heaven laughs.

The Lord scoffs at them.

⁵ Then in anger he rebukes them,

terrifying them with his fierce fury.

⁶ For the Lord declares, "I have placed my chosen king on the throne

in Jerusalem,[*] on my holy mountain."

⁷ The king proclaims the L

ORD

’s decree:

"The L

ORD

said to me, ‘You are my son.[*]

Today I have become your Father.[*]

⁸ Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance,

the whole earth as your possession.

⁹ You will break[*] them with an iron rod

and smash them like clay pots.’"

¹⁰ Now then, you kings, act wisely!

Be warned, you rulers of the earth!

¹¹ Serve the L

ORD

with reverent fear,

and rejoice with trembling.

¹² Submit to God’s royal son,[*] or he will become angry,

and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities—

for his anger flares up in an instant.

But what joy for all who take refuge in him!

PROVERBS 1:7-9

⁷ Fear of the L

ORD

is the foundation of true knowledge,

but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

⁸ My child,[*] listen when your father corrects you.

Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.

⁹ What you learn from them will crown you with grace

and be a chain of honor around your neck.

[Genesis 3:8] Or Adam, and so throughout the chapter.

[Genesis 3:15] Or bruise; also in 3:15b.

[Genesis 3:16] Or And though you will have desire for your husband, / he will rule over you.

[Genesis 3:20] Eve sounds like a Hebrew term that means to give life.

[Genesis 3:22] Or the man; Hebrew reads ha-adam.

[Genesis 4:1a] Or the man; also in 4:25.

[Genesis 4:1b] Or I have acquired. Cain sounds like a Hebrew term that can mean produce or acquire.

[Genesis 4:8] As in Samaritan Pentateuch, Greek and Syriac versions, and Latin Vulgate; Masoretic Text lacks Let’s go out into the fields.

[Genesis 4:13] Or My sin.

[Genesis 4:16] Nod means wandering.

[Genesis 4:18] Or the ancestor of, and so throughout the verse.

[Genesis 4:25] Seth probably means granted; the name may also mean appointed.

[Matthew 2:15] Hos 11:1.

[Matthew 2:18] Jer 31:15.

[Matthew 3:2] Or has come, or is coming soon.

[Matthew 3:3] Isa 40:3 (Greek version).

[Psalm 2:6] Hebrew on Zion.

[Psalm 2:7a] Or Son; also in 2:12.

[Psalm 2:7b] Or Today I reveal you as my son.

[Psalm 2:9] Greek version reads rule. Compare Rev 2:27.

[Psalm 2:12] The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.

[Proverbs 1:8] Hebrew My son; also in 1:10, 15.

JANUARY

3

Lord, I’m with David. I pause to pray for protection from those who wish us harm. Grant us the freedom and safety that comes as we draw ever closer to you. Amen.

Genesis 5:1–7:24

Matthew 3:7–4:11

Psalm 3:1-8

Proverbs 1:10-19

GENESIS 5:1–7:24

This is the written account of the descendants of Adam. When God created human beings,[*] he made them to be like himself. ² He created them male and female, and he blessed them and called them human.

³ When Adam was 130 years old, he became the father of a son who was just like him—in his very image. He named his son Seth. ⁴ After the birth of Seth, Adam lived another 800 years, and he had other sons and daughters. ⁵ Adam lived 930 years, and then he died.

⁶ When Seth was 105 years old, he became the father of[*] Enosh. ⁷ After the birth of[*] Enosh, Seth lived another 807 years, and he had other sons and daughters. ⁸ Seth lived 912 years, and then he died.

⁹ When Enosh was 90 years old, he became the father of Kenan. ¹⁰ After the birth of Kenan, Enosh lived another 815 years, and he had other sons and daughters. ¹¹ Enosh lived 905 years, and then he died.

¹² When Kenan was 70 years old, he became the father of Mahalalel. ¹³ After the birth of Mahalalel, Kenan lived another 840 years, and he had other sons and daughters. ¹⁴ Kenan lived 910 years, and then he died.

¹⁵ When Mahalalel was 65 years old, he became the father of Jared. ¹⁶ After the birth of Jared, Mahalalel lived another 830 years, and he had other sons and daughters. ¹⁷ Mahalalel lived 895 years, and then he died.

¹⁸ When Jared was 162 years old, he became the father of Enoch. ¹⁹ After the birth of Enoch, Jared lived another 800 years, and he had other sons and daughters. ²⁰ Jared lived 962 years, and then he died.

²¹ When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. ²² After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. ²³ Enoch lived 365 years, ²⁴ walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.

²⁵ When Methuselah was 187 years old, he became the father of Lamech. ²⁶ After the birth of Lamech, Methuselah lived another 782 years, and he had other sons and daughters. ²⁷ Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died.

²⁸ When Lamech was 182 years old, he became the father of a son. ²⁹ Lamech named his son Noah, for he said, "May he bring us relief[*] from our work and the painful labor of farming this ground that the L

ORD

has cursed." ³⁰ After the birth of Noah, Lamech lived another 595 years, and he had other sons and daughters. ³¹ Lamech lived 777 years, and then he died.

³² After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

⁶:¹ Then the people began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them. ² The sons of God saw the beautiful women[*] and took any they wanted as their wives. ³ Then the L

ORD

said, "My Spirit will not put up with[*] humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years."

⁴ In those days, and for some time after, giant Nephilites lived on the earth, for whenever the sons of God had intercourse with women, they gave birth to children who became the heroes and famous warriors of ancient times.

⁵ The L

ORD

observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. ⁶ So the L

ORD

was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. ⁷ And the L

ORD

said, I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them. ⁸ But Noah found favor with the L

ORD

.

⁹ This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. ¹⁰ Noah was the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

¹¹ Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. ¹² God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. ¹³ So God said to Noah, "I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!

¹⁴ "Build a large boat[*] from cypress wood[*] and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. ¹⁵ Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.[*] ¹⁶ Leave an 18-inch opening[*] below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat—lower, middle, and upper.

¹⁷ Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. ¹⁸ But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives. ¹⁹ Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. ²⁰ Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive. ²¹ And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.

²² So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.

⁷:¹ When everything was ready, the L

ORD

said to Noah, "Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that you alone are righteous. ² Take with you seven pairs—male and female—of each animal I have approved for eating and for sacrifice,[*] and take one pair of each of the others. ³ Also take seven pairs of every kind of bird. There must be a male and a female in each pair to ensure that all life will survive on the earth after the flood. ⁴ Seven days from now I will make the rains pour down on the earth. And it will rain for forty days and forty nights, until I have wiped from the earth all the living things I have created."

⁵ So Noah did everything as the L

ORD

commanded him.

⁶ Noah was 600 years old when the flood covered the earth. ⁷ He went on board the boat to escape the flood—he and his wife and his sons and their wives. ⁸ With them were all the various kinds of animals—those approved for eating and for sacrifice and those that were not—along with all the birds and the small animals that scurry along the ground. ⁹ They entered the boat in pairs, male and female, just as God had commanded Noah. ¹⁰ After seven days, the waters of the flood came and covered the earth.

¹¹ When Noah was 600 years old, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the underground waters erupted from the earth, and the rain fell in mighty torrents from the sky. ¹² The rain continued to fall for forty days and forty nights.

¹³ That very day Noah had gone into the boat with his wife and his sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—and their wives. ¹⁴ With them in the boat were pairs of every kind of animal—domestic and wild, large and small—along with birds of every kind. ¹⁵ Two by two they came into the boat, representing every living thing that breathes. ¹⁶ A male and female of each kind entered, just as God had commanded Noah. Then the L

ORD

closed the door behind them.

¹⁷ For forty days the floodwaters grew deeper, covering the ground and lifting the boat high above the earth. ¹⁸ As the waters rose higher and higher above the ground, the boat floated safely on the surface. ¹⁹ Finally, the water covered even the highest mountains on the earth, ²⁰ rising more than twenty-two feet[*] above the highest peaks. ²¹ All the living things on earth died—birds, domestic animals, wild animals, small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the people. ²² Everything that breathed and lived on dry land died. ²³ God wiped out every living thing on the earth—people, livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and the birds of the sky. All were destroyed. The only people who survived were Noah and those with him in the boat. ²⁴ And the floodwaters covered the earth for 150 days.

MATTHEW 3:7–4:11

But when he [John] saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize,[*] he denounced them. You brood of snakes! he exclaimed. "Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? ⁸ Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. ⁹ Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. ¹⁰ Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.

¹¹ "I baptize with[*] water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.[*] ¹² He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire."

¹³ Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. ¹⁴ But John tried to talk him out of it. I am the one who needs to be baptized by you, he said, so why are you coming to me?

¹⁵ But Jesus said, "It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.[*]" So John agreed to baptize him.

¹⁶ After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened[*] and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.

⁴:¹ Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. ² For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.

³ During that time the devil[*] came and said to him, If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.

⁴ But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say,

‘People do not live by bread alone,

but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[*]"

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, ⁶ and said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,

‘He will order his angels to protect you.

And they will hold you up with their hands

so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’[*]"

⁷ Jesus responded, "The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the L

ORD

your God.’[*]"

⁸ Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ I will give it all to you, he said, if you will kneel down and worship me.

¹⁰ Get out of here, Satan, Jesus told him. "For the Scriptures say,

‘You must worship the L

ORD

your God

and serve only him.’[*]"

¹¹ Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.

PSALM 3:1-8

A psalm of David, regarding the time David fled from his son Absalom.

¹ O L

ORD

, I have so many enemies;

so many are against me.

² So many are saying,

God will never rescue him!

Interlude[*]

³ But you, O L

ORD

, are a shield around me;

you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.

⁴ I cried out to the L

ORD

,

and he answered me from his holy mountain.

Interlude

⁵ I lay down and slept,

yet I woke up in safety,

for the L

ORD

was watching over me.

⁶ I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies

who surround me on every side.

⁷ Arise, O L

ORD

!

Rescue me, my God!

Slap all my enemies in the face!

Shatter the teeth of the wicked!

⁸ Victory comes from you, O L

ORD

.

May you bless your people.

Interlude

PROVERBS 1:10-19

¹⁰ My child, if sinners entice you,

turn your back on them!

¹¹ They may say, "Come and join us.

Let’s hide and kill someone!

Just for fun, let’s ambush the innocent!

¹² Let’s swallow them alive, like the grave[*];

let’s swallow them whole, like those who go down to the pit of death.

¹³ Think of the great things we’ll get!

We’ll fill our houses with all the stuff we take.

¹⁴ Come, throw in your lot with us;

we’ll all share the loot."

¹⁵ My child, don’t go along with them!

Stay far away from their paths.

¹⁶ They rush to commit evil deeds.

They hurry to commit murder.

¹⁷ If a bird sees a trap being set,

it knows to stay away.

¹⁸ But these people set an ambush for themselves;

they are trying to get themselves killed.

¹⁹ Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money;

it robs them of life.

[Genesis 5:1] Or man; Hebrew reads adam; similarly in 5:2.

[Genesis 5:6] Or the ancestor of; also in 5:9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 25.

[Genesis 5:7] Or the birth of this ancestor of; also in 5:10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 26.

[Genesis 5:29] Noah sounds like a Hebrew term that can mean relief or comfort.

[Genesis 6:2] Hebrew daughters of men; also in 6:4.

[Genesis 6:3] Greek version reads will not remain in.

[Genesis 6:14a] Traditionally rendered an ark.

[Genesis 6:14b] Or gopher wood.

[Genesis 6:15] Hebrew 300 cubits [138 meters] long, 50 cubits [23 meters] wide, and 30 cubits [13.8 meters] high.

[Genesis 6:16] Hebrew an opening of 1 cubit [46 centimeters].

[Genesis 7:2] Hebrew of each clean animal; similarly in 7:8.

[Genesis 7:20] Hebrew 15 cubits [6.9 meters].

[Matthew 3:7] Or coming to be baptized.

[Matthew 3:11a] Or in.

[Matthew 3:11b] Or in the Holy Spirit and in fire.

[Matthew 3:15] Or for we must fulfill all righteousness.

[Matthew 3:16] Some manuscripts read opened to him.

[Matthew 4:3] Greek the tempter.

[Matthew 4:4] Deut 8:3.

[Matthew 4:6] Ps 91:11-12.

[Matthew 4:7] Deut 6:16.

[Matthew 4:10] Deut 6:13.

[Psalm 3:2] Hebrew Selah. The meaning of this word is uncertain, though it is probably a musical or literary term. It is rendered Interlude throughout the Psalms.

[Proverbs 1:12] Hebrew like Sheol.

JANUARY

4

Lord, when the devil tempted Jesus, your truth protected him. Plant your truth deep into the hearts of our leaders so they—and our nation—can enjoy your protection. I pray our leaders will turn to you in times of turmoil and when deceit and lies tug at them. Amen.

Genesis 8:1–10:32

Matthew 4:12-25

Psalm 4:1-8

Proverbs 1:20-23

GENESIS 8:1–10:32

But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock with him in the boat. He sent a wind to blow across the earth, and the floodwaters began to recede. ² The underground waters stopped flowing, and the torrential rains from the sky were stopped. ³ So the floodwaters gradually receded from the earth. After 150 days, ⁴ exactly five months from the time the flood began,[*] the boat came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. ⁵ Two and a half months later,[*] as the waters continued to go down, other mountain peaks became visible.

⁶ After another forty days, Noah opened the window he had made in the boat ⁷ and released a raven. The bird flew back and forth until the floodwaters on the earth had dried up. ⁸ He also released a dove to see if the water had receded and it could find dry ground. ⁹ But the dove could find no place to land because the water still covered the ground. So it returned to the boat, and Noah held out his hand and drew the dove back inside. ¹⁰ After waiting another seven days, Noah released the dove again. ¹¹ This time the dove returned to him in the evening with a fresh olive leaf in its beak. Then Noah knew that the floodwaters were almost gone. ¹² He waited another seven days and then released the dove again. This time it did not come back.

¹³ Noah was now 601 years old. On the first day of the new year, ten and a half months after the flood began,[*] the floodwaters had almost dried up from the earth. Noah lifted back the covering of the boat and saw that the surface of the ground was drying. ¹⁴ Two more months went by,[*] and at last the earth was dry!

¹⁵ Then God said to Noah, ¹⁶ Leave the boat, all of you—you and your wife, and your sons and their wives. ¹⁷ Release all the animals—the birds, the livestock, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—so they can be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth.

¹⁸ So Noah, his wife, and his sons and their wives left the boat. ¹⁹ And all of the large and small animals and birds came out of the boat, pair by pair.

²⁰ Then Noah built an altar to the L

ORD

, and there he sacrificed as burnt offerings the animals and birds that had been approved for that purpose.[*] ²¹ And the L

ORD

was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to himself, I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things. ²² As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.

⁹:¹ Then God blessed Noah and his sons and told them, "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth. ² All the animals of the earth, all the birds of the sky, all the small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the fish in the sea will look on you with fear and terror. I have placed